


Farewell

by Azashenya



Series: Aza's Middle-Earth 'Verse [4]
Category: The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-15
Updated: 2015-08-15
Packaged: 2018-04-15 09:26:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4601595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Azashenya/pseuds/Azashenya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Elrohir and Elladan speaking together in their mother's, remembering.  This is post the death of King Elessar.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Farewell

The garden is overgrown, the trees untrimmed, the weeds growing free. As he walks through it the grass seeds catch at his robes and the branches tangle in his long hair.

There is a bush growing in a small patch of garden. There might be smaller plants growing around it but they can't be seen through the long weeds. He smiles sadly as he leans over to smell its flowers.

 

_A small boy crawling under a bush, trying to see if it is like one of his father's healing plants._

_His own little garden: carefully digging each plant up to see how it is growing._

_The vivid recollection of being told off. His father telling him he was hurting the plants._

_Coming back years later to find their plants still there, tended by Mother._

 

But she is gone now and the gardens grow wild.

There is a tear in his eye as he picks one of the flowers, smelling it again before tucking it into his pocket.

There are still paths through the garden, narrowed by the encroaching bushes. He walks down them, his hands brushing against the leaves as he goes.

Here is the tree where they would sit and have lunch as children. Time taken from their Father's busy day to sit and spend time with his family. Sometimes Uncle Fin would join them, less often it would be Erestor; Erestor was always busy.

He leans against the tree, his eyes closed, remembering the days long fled now.

A half heard foot fall and he turns, pushing away from the tree.

“Ro?” His brother's voice holds concern, and he smiles a reassurance for the eyes so like his own.

“I'm fine,” but his sigh belies his words.

“You miss them.”

He just nods in reply. 

“Me too.” They embrace, holding each other against the dark losses of time.

 “It's been so long.” He looks but what he sees is an older garden, where their mother and sister worked together to tend the flowers and trees.

 Elladan sighs as he turns slightly away from his twin to look at their home.

 “Do you think she'll be waiting for us?” He asks quietly, knowing that his twin will understand that he is asking about their long dead mother.

 “Aye, they'll be waiting.” The younger brother's tone is soothing.

 “Do,” he pauses, hesitant. “Do you think she's forgiven us?” //For failing her. We should have protected her.// A familiar litany.

 Elrohir hesitates, drawing his arm closer around his brother. “I don't know,” he admits reluctantly.

 “We've lost our little sister, I don't...” Cold fear clutches at his heart. “What if she turns away from us?”

 Pain and fear swiftly cross Elrohir's face at the idea and he holds his brother possessively. “Then we'll have each other and our friends will be with us, you know that.”

 Elladan sighs and wraps his arms around Elrohir. “I know. It's just...”

 “It's so hard. I know Lad, I know.”

  

_Their sister, wearing one of the white dresses she loved, sitting by her husband's bed. Her face is still young, a couple of lines the only touch of time. His face is weathered and his beard grey, but his eyes are still bright._

  _The talk softly to each other while the twins watch, standing far enough back to give them their privacy. But after a moment he raises his head to look at them and she beckons them forward._

 “ _Brothers,” his voice is deep and slightly rough as he reaches his hands to take theirs. He looks at them for a moment, their faces are unchanged from those he saw as a child. For all his wisdom and years of kingship he can think of nothing that is right to say to these two who were old by his reckoning before he was born. After a moment he settles for a single word. “Farewell.”_

  _They nod gravely, holding his hands tightly._

 “ _Farewell, Elessar, King.”_

 “ _Farewell, Estel, our brother.” And their eyes shine with unshed tears._

  

The brothers walk through the gardens together, speaking quietly of memories. Reluctantly they say farewell to their home. Along with the gardens their hearts call a farewell to their sister, sleeping now beneath the grass of Lorien.

 With their passing the gardens stand alone again. Hidden by the river's stone walls. Tended only by the soft rain and the warm sun.

 


End file.
